British Couple Found Dead After Spain Floods: A Heartbreaking End to a Quiet Life Abroad

In a heartbreaking end to what was meant to be a peaceful life under the Spanish sun, a British couple who had been missing for days after severe flooding in Spain have been found dead. Don Turner, 78, and his wife Terri, 74, had been living near the village of Pedralba in the Valencia region. They disappeared on Tuesday, 29 October 2024, after torrential rains triggered flash floods across the area.

Their daughter, Ruth O’Loughlin, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, confirmed their deaths to the BBC on Saturday. The couple were found inside their car, days after they were last seen heading out to get gas. The vehicle had been swept away or trapped during the flooding, though details of exactly what happened are still unclear.

“We held out hope that they were still alive,” Ruth told BBC Radio WM in an emotional interview. “Maybe sheltering somewhere, maybe stuck somewhere safe and just waiting to be found.”

But that hope was tragically extinguished when Ruth received a message from her parents’ friends in Spain, urging her to call them. What followed was the kind of call no one ever wants to receive.

“He said ‘Ruth, get your husband,’” she recalled. “I called my husband in and he just said ‘Martin, hold your wife,’ and said that they’d been found. And they’d been found in their car.”

The Turners had been living a quiet life in Spain following retirement, surrounded by the kind of rural charm that draws many British expats to the country. Friends described them as kind-hearted, warm people who enjoyed the simple pleasures of their surroundings.

“They were the sort of people everyone loved,” said one family friend. “Always ready with a smile, always helping others. You couldn’t ask for better neighbours.”

Terri had mentioned to friends that she and Don were just “popping out” to get some gas that Tuesday morning. It was a routine errand that would end in unthinkable tragedy. Heavy rains that day had overwhelmed drainage systems and turned quiet roads into dangerous torrents.

Spain’s meteorological agency had issued warnings, but as often happens in rural areas, life continued as normal — until it couldn’t.

Floods in the Valencia region that week were among the worst in recent memory, with several rivers bursting their banks and entire roads becoming impassable within minutes. Emergency services responded to hundreds of calls, but the severity and speed of the floods caught many off guard.

“We still don’t know exactly what happened to them,” Ruth said, her voice breaking. “The only comfort we have is that they were together. It’s not the way you want your parents to go.”

For Ruth and her family, the grief is compounded by the distance and the questions that remain unanswered. What route did her parents take? How quickly did the floodwaters rise? Did they try to escape? These are questions that may never be fully answered.

Back in Burntwood, the Turner family are now left to mourn and remember a couple who had hoped to spend their later years in the serenity of the Spanish countryside. They had raised their children, worked hard all their lives, and chosen to retire somewhere warm and peaceful. They weren’t thrill-seekers or risk-takers — just an ordinary couple caught in extraordinary circumstances.

The story of Don and Terri Turner has resonated with many, both in the UK and abroad. Social media has been filled with messages of condolence and support, particularly from expat communities in Spain who understand both the beauty and the risks of living in rural, weather-exposed areas.

Their deaths are a solemn reminder of nature’s unpredictability. Flash floods, often underestimated, can escalate in minutes and leave little chance for escape. It’s a lesson that has come at the highest price for the Turner family.

As Ruth and her loved ones now make arrangements to bring her parents home — or perhaps lay them to rest in the place they had chosen to call home — the community around them mourns with them.

In the end, Ruth finds only one small sliver of peace.

“They were together,” she said. “That’s the only thing we can hold on to.”